Post Windows Setup Tips and Tricks

Mainly going to use this for personal notes. This is a checklist I made for a post windows install. I would say, on average, a fresh Windows wipe every 6 to 9 months keeps everything in tip-top shape.

1. Install Revi or Atlas Playbook
2. Drivers & Trial Apps/Activate
   • Download Windows
   • irm https://get.activated.win | iex
   • My MSI Board
   • Nvidia GPU
3. Configure Fonts
4. Setup Password Manager: EnPass
5. Auto-Login: Skip Password Screen
   • reg ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device" /v DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
   • netplwiz
6. Install Apps
   • Add AHK Script to Startup
   • Ungoogled Chrome > Brave TOR > Floorp > Thorium > Nothing Else
   • NextDNS or AdGuard
   • Media Codecs
   • ShareX + import settings
   • Telegram / Signal
   • Cryptomator than Dropbox
   • Floorp > Firefox
   • BetterBird > Thunderbird
   • Aerial
   • Spotify launch admin terminal and run iex "& { $(iwr -useb 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SpotX-Official/SpotX/refs/heads/main/run.ps1') } -new_theme"
   • SmoothScroll and SmoothScroll Addon
7. Review Checklist
8. Everything else

Install Playbook

Just pick one, you can't go wrong with either. I think Atlas is more more popular, but Revi is ~8% better. Both are amazing, and will create a much better and more private Windows experience.

• Revi is just a little better than Atlas imo…
  • You install stock windows, and run a playbook to deploy multiple tweaks that turn Windows into how it should be shipped.
    • https://github.com/meetrevision/playbook/releases/latest
    • https://ameliorated.io/

Trial Apps/Activate

• https://maggew.com/trial-any-windows-office-app-using-c2r-installers/
• Admin Powershell and run irm https://get.activated.win | iex

Configure Fonts

When you access the web or use your PC you want everything to look beautiful. This all starts with a proper font loadout. So you should customize your browser fonts, your system fonts and everywhere else. I think this is why Apple computers had some good mainstream success. I have a huge monitor, I like using 20px as a base font size, MAYBE 18px but I don't want to squint my way into the 90s and baseline 14px and gradually increase. 125% zoom isn't bad either… 😏

• In browser, chrome://settings/fonts configure:
  • Standard font = Segoe UI
  • Serif font = EB Garamond
  • Sans-serif font = Segoe UI
  • Fixed-width font = IMB Plex Mono
• Install Apple fonts on Windows (even though they are not optimized for everything it's nice to have them

Auto-Login: Skip Password Screen

HOWTO: Skip Windows 11 login, go straight to desktop

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run command to enable the older netplwiz functionality
2. reg ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device" /v DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
3. WIN + R and paste netplwiz and select user account
4. Uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”
5. Apply, Reboot, Done.

Additional wake-from-sleep configuration

• WIN + I to launch into settings than nav to Accounts > Sign-in options
• Turn off “Only require Windows Hello sign-in” if enabled
• NEVER = Additional Settings > If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again?

Setup Password Manager: EnPass

If you download the Windows Store version, I found that i performs better than the legacy/classic .exe install. Especially noticeable with auto password input prefill.

• EnPass Desktop or EnPass Store and EnPass Browser
• Go into your options and make sure you are syncing locally, or with dropbox or whatever

Everything Else

Setting up DNS at the router level is the best way to filter and protect, but requires the most work so you should just use a HOSTs file, or an App or even a VPN… AND AT THE VERY LEAST Browser Filters. If you setup router dns, or even NextDNS, you probably won't even need an ad blocker.

• https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts
• https://one.one.one.one/dns/

Personalize OS Tweaks

• Tweaks for taskbar, registry, wallpaper, “snap to” mouse, keyboard software, etc
• Setup media sharing / streaming
• Configure network printer
• You can use something like https://legacyupdate.net/ to help fix your older PC.